194 



NOAA Technical Report NMFS 140 



u. Ul 

 OS 



a uj 

 UJ cr 



ISS 



I — I NUMBER 

 ■ WEIGHT 





GEORGES SOUTHERN GEORGES SOUTHERN 

 SANK NEW ENGLAND SLOPE NEW ENGLAND 

 SHELF SLOPE 



GEOGRAPHIC AREA 



Figure 209 

 Density and biomass of Holothuroidea in each of the six geo- 

 graphic areas. 



Sizes ranged from 2 mm in diameter, in juvenile speci- 

 mens, to large adults having a test diameter of 5 cm. The 

 majority of specimens ranged between 0.5 and 3 cm. 



Echinoids occurred in 293 samples (27% of the to- 

 tal). Their density averaged 29.3/m"-' and their biomass 

 averaged 36.8 g/m 2 (Table 5). 



Geographic Distribution 



Echinoids occurred extensively throughout most of the 

 study area (Fig. 214), but their distribution pattern was 

 somewhat patchy and irregular in density. Intermedi- 

 ate and high densities (10 to 1,051 individuals/m 2 ) 

 were common from Georges Bank to the Southern New 



England Shelf areas. The biomass of echinoids was 

 especially high (100 to 1,027 g/rrr) on Georges Bank 

 where they made up 50% of the total benthic biomass 

 in Northeast Channel, and in coastal areas of central 

 and Southern New England (24%). 



Among the six standard geographic areas, the aver- 

 age density of echinoids was moderately high (over 100 

 individuals/m 2 ) on Georges Bank, intermediate (4 to 

 22/m'-') in the Nova Scotia, Gulf of Maine, and South- 

 ern New England Shelf areas; and low (0.2 and 0.3/m 2 ) 

 in the two slope areas (Table 6; Fig. 215). 



Biomass was moderate to very high in all areas. It was 

 especially high (averaging 117 g/m 2 ) in the Georges 



